In The Flesh

Edited by Lynne van Luven and Kathy Page

Living is a process of continuous transformation: we have been embryos, children, adolescents, thin, fat, sick, better again. And as humans, we are always at odds with at least one part of our bodies. Have we inherited the family nose? Is there nothing to be done for our finicky stomach or our limp hair?

In the Flesh is an intelligent, witty, and provocative look at how we think about—and live within—our bodies. The editors and writers in this collection describe what human bodies feel now. Each author’s candid essay focuses on one part of the body, and explores its function, its meanings, and the role it has played in his or her life.

Praise for In the Flesh

The collection is anecdotal and educational, witty and at times heart-breaking. Its finely crafted writing serves to underline the strange truths of how we inhabit and make sense of our forms, which are created both by nature and culture. —Gulf Islands Driftwood

This collection is a thorough and provocative look at the body, broken down into its messy, beautiful and complicated parts. —Salon Book, Telegraph-Journal

I found each essay as unique as the body is to each individual. All were candid, entertaining, and immensely informative. What an amazing approach to memoir through the lens of the miracles of the body. —Story Circle Book Reviews

The book’s overall effect is powerful, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, and, more often than not, deeply moving. —The Globe and Mail